My trip is almost here Read my final entry from my trip planning journal Sunday May 1 Yesterday was quite a day I did the mundane things you need to do to get ready for a trip got some cash US dollars put together some snacks watered the plants cut the grass cleaned out the refrigerator returned a book to the library and bought a People magazine to help entertain me on the long flight to Milan I also packed and repacked several times My suitcase...

Visitors to Venice Italy who plan to stay overnight will now be taxed for the privilege Overnight visitors will have as much as 10 extra Euros added to their hotel bills At 5 about 725 in 2011 a night the new visitor tax is expected to add an additional 8 million Euros in revenue in 2011 coffers of Venice The tax is levied based on the type of accommodation with visitors staying in luxury hotels paying more than those staying in smaller inexpensive...

My Trip is Getting Closer Here are the entries from my trip planning journal Friday April 29 Only 2 days until I am off to Italy Jaycee is recovering nicely but still not 100 making me glad that I decided to leave her at the vets rather than the kennel More worrisome is that my 5 year old grandniece who has a number of medical challenges is back in the hospital She has been there for several weeks so I had assumed she would be recovering at home...

My Trip is Getting Closer Here are the entries from my trip planning journal Wednesday April 27 Ok now Jaycee my dog has conjunctivitis in her right eye it is big red and oozing some sort of yucky yellow goop So now instead of staying at Camp Woof she has to stay at the vet That means her expense just went from 25 per night to 39 per night And I have to fight with her three times a day to put drops in her eye I picked up my Euros today It was...

The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon was one of two Comissario Brunetti mysteries I took on my recent trip to Italy Though I did not make it to Venice this trip it was still fun reading a novel that takes place in Italy while in Italy The mystery at the center of this novel is a young gypsy Rom girl which allows Donna Leon to explore the lives of gypsies in Italy and their treatment by both Italians and the Italian government The face of this young...